Winter Vacation

It was almost end of the school term. ONe lazy sunday afternoon as I was putting my son for his nap, the two girls busied themselves in their laptop games. After putting the boy down, I told the girls that I too am taking a nap. Sometime passed and the girls, except for the tussle for their turns didn't make much conversation. I had almost drifted into light sleep when I heard my little girl exclaim, "You know Angie, my friends are saying they are going to Bangkok during the vacation."
Without opening my eyes,I continue listening to their conversation. Angie replies, "Yea sii, even my friends. Some are going to Australia. Some are going to Singapore!" I hear her moan with regret, almost!

For an instance, I am raided by the urge to pop open my eyes and explain why can't we go for vacation to these places but I choose to play 'I'm sleeping' for some time, just to know where the conversation heads to.

"Owww, Mama and Papa can think of Samtse and Gelephu only for our break, right Angie??" The little one seeks support of disapproval of our family getaway destination. I feel sorry for these little girls who are in a race with their peers. I don't know how to tackle the case so I continue to pretend until I actually fall asleep.

It's been a month since their winter break started and I've brought them to Gelephu. Atleast we have escaped the cold winter of Thimphu. The following are some of the activities we have been carrying out this winter:

Ninda walking in the woods with my father.

Wanted to give Ninda an Elephant ride but my aunty says, "we don't ride on Memey Sangay." So this fake Elephant is all he got to ride on in Manas.

Reading, Reading and more Reading. We have finished the pile we brought from home. Have ordered some more books, Their papa is sending it this weekend. :)

I bought them Drawing books, paints and brushes. This is my Samdrup's favorite piece.

We never run out of ideas. Memey was making us roti for dinner, Angie asked a lump of dough and this is what she created. Ain't it beautiful?

Angie has discovered her green thumbs. Growing garlic, tomato and I don't know what else in her garden.

Can Angie getaway with something without Samdrup asking for it? Nah! So, Ta-dah! Samdrup has her own garden.

His sisters have it and he doesn't, that isn't fair! So, the little guy too gets his own tiny garden. Mind you, this little guy is so protective about his garden, he doesn't even allow birds to land on his garden. "Nana ko garden," he says beaming with happiness.

Their favorite activity. Laptop games and watching movies.

Well,there are many other things the four of us have been upto this winter. Gelephu is not Bangkok but we are happy to have eachother. But yes, these guys miss their Papa a lot. :(

Goodbye 2015

Good morning 2016.

So many wishes, new styles of greetings and of course blaring music from far and wide.

How was my New Year eve?

Totally uncool! I don't know whether to call it the last migraine of 2015, or the very first migraine of 2016 but yeah, I suffered with migraine way before 2016's entry.

But that was not to deter me from ushering in the New day without sending the wishes to my family and friends. I sent and responded the greetings and wishes on fb and Wechat and of course Sms till I could not face even the dimmed glare of my phone.

2015 is gone. It's going to take me some time to remember to write '16' instead of '15' but I know I'll get it perfected within the first week of January. ;)

Time to look at what 2015 has bestowed on me.

✔️My biggest achievement is that I completed reading 28 books. I could have proudly declared 29, but I m left with last two chapters of the book I'm currently on.

✔️La Ama finally happened and I am unabashedly proud of this small dream being fulfilled. More than anything, it is a gift to my Ama who has been a great strength and continues to be so.

✔️Met and made so many wonderful friends from within and outside. Every person I've met and interacted with has taught me valuable lessons in life. Even those who have not been so good to me, I tell you, seriously your negativity has fostered more positivity in my life.

✔️ My heart has enlarged its space for more than my family and friends. I've put in my whole heart to get things done for the #LightUpLangdurbi initiative. What I'm putting in isn't big, but I know this is good enough and this will definitely push me into doing more of such things.

✔️ Been around to schools and two colleges to talk about #ReadingAndWriting. Seeing the children inspired and motivated (because they got to see that even somebody like me could walk around calling myself a 'writer', why couldn't they?) ;)

✔️ I've been home. Have taken care of my family. My children are fed and clothed and loved dearly.

This has been a blessed year. Thank you 2015.

Ninda tells a story

Being away from home for almost a month now, we have run out of books but my kids won't let me sleep until I read them a story.

So, we struggle to grasp the tab from little Ninda who has declared full ownership of this gadget for his temple run games. This little guy can really flick his tiny fingers through the gross- looking dungeons, I tell you. Well, I've always been a stickler for denying love for such games I guess.

As I was telling you, the three of us struggle to borrow his tab for about twenty minutes to find nice bedtime stories online. After much push and pull and tears and yells ( doesn't sound like a picture perfect moment, ewww!!!! But wait, it lasts only till the buffering stops to a cool display of online read aloud stories and the tiny tyrant too is deeply engrossed in the stories.

Good riddance of the temple run for another half an hour at least!!!

We browse through stories, laughing and giggling with the characters. I daren't choose stories with ugly creatures in it. Ninda gets scared too quickly and starts pulling the tab for that gross game of his.

But today, his sisters ( after listening to four Peepa Pig stories) are already dreaming of ice creams and lollipops while this little guy is busy flicking his fingers on the tab, tossing the ugly creature across the dungeon of no end.

I'm sleepy but can't afford to fall asleep yet! Not with this energetic little one still up and about. (Sigh! The life of a mother!)

To tire him out, I snuggle close to him and pester him for a story. "So-ri?" He seems flabbergasted hearing me plead for a story. From him.

I keep on with the show. He relents finally! Without even casting an eye on me (fingers still busy in the dungeon).

"There was a girl," he begins.
"Uh-huh," I nod to probe him to continue.

"Owwwww I'm dead!" He huffs in anger, continuing the game without wasting a second and the girl of his intended story, long forgotten.

"What about the girl?" I test him and his tiny patience.

"She cried!" He declares in a non-committed tone. Well, even he knows that all that girls do, is cry. He has seen all the females in the house cry. No blaming him for picking that plot for his story.

"Why was she crying?" I ask, sounding very pegged onto the story.

His fingers flicking, he says, "she wanted....." He takes a long pause. I don't think he is cooking up the next event for his story, it's just that his game is done for another time.

"Dolls?" Tatu, who I thought was fast asleep suggests. Looks like even she was trying to follow the little one's first attempt at telling a story.

"Tatu, you tell the story!" He orders and turns to the other side, leaving me with no space to pester him.